Install Boltz2 Nim
Pick your agent. Every command is ready to paste.
npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill boltz2-nimThe open skills CLI detects your agents (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ more) and installs to the right folder. Add -g to install globally.
01
Install it
Run the command above, or upload the folder in Claude.
02
Ask naturally
Describe the task. Your agent loads boltz2-nim when the request matches its description.
03
Name it if needed
If it does not trigger, say “use the boltz2-nim skill”. In Codex, type $boltz2-nim.
Boltz2 NIM
Predict biomolecular structures and optional ligand affinity. Use this guide for first-pass hosted/local usage; load supplemental files only when needed:
references/api.md: exact endpoints, schemas, Docker flags, response fields.references/science.md: purpose, strengths, limitations, and handoffs.references/parameters.md: prediction, sampling, MSA, template, affinity tuning.references/validation.md: mmCIF, confidence, affinity, and chemistry checks.references/examples.md: compact hosted/local payload patterns.
Instructions
Read credentials from the environment only when needed. Check presence with
bool(os.getenv("NGC_API_KEY")); keep key values and Authorization headers out of
terminal output, logs, saved artifacts, and the final response. Avoid environment
dumps when diagnosing authentication. If the hosted key is absent, report the
missing variable before submitting a request.
Choose Mode
Ask only when context is unclear:
Hosted NVIDIA API or local Docker NIM?
- Hosted:
https://health.api.nvidia.com/v1/biology/mit/boltz2/predict - Local:
http://localhost:8000/biology/mit/boltz2/predict
Hosted requests use Authorization: Bearer $NGC_API_KEY. Supported local Docker
startup uses NGC_API_KEY (or NVIDIA_API_KEY via the preflight) for
registry login, entitlement checks, and first-run model downloads; pass it
into the container with -e NGC_API_KEY. Local inference requests use no
auth header after readiness. Warm-cache key-free startup varies by
image/version and should not be assumed.
Local Docker
For local setup answers, copy the preflight below before docker login,
docker run, readiness, and the no-auth local request. Do not invent a cache
default or drop the .env load or NVIDIA_API_KEY fallback.
set -a
[ -f .env ] && . ./.env
set +a
if [ -z "${NGC_API_KEY:-}" ] && [ -n "${NVIDIA_API_KEY:-}" ]; then
export NGC_API_KEY="$NVIDIA_API_KEY"
fi
: "${NGC_API_KEY:?Set NGC_API_KEY or NVIDIA_API_KEY}"
: "${LOCAL_NIM_CACHE:?Set LOCAL_NIM_CACHE}"
echo "$NGC_API_KEY" | docker login nvcr.io --username '$oauthtoken' --password-stdin
mkdir -p "${LOCAL_NIM_CACHE}"
chmod 755 "${LOCAL_NIM_CACHE}"
docker run --rm --name boltz2 --gpus all \
--shm-size=16G \
-e NGC_API_KEY \
-v "${LOCAL_NIM_CACHE}:/opt/nim/.cache" \
-p 8000:8000 \
nvcr.io/nim/mit/boltz2:1.6.0
Readiness:
until curl -sf http://localhost:8000/v1/health/ready; do sleep 5; done
First startup downloads about 30 GB of model weights.
Examples
Prediction Request
import os
import requests
HOSTED = True
url = (
"https://health.api.nvidia.com/v1/biology/mit/boltz2/predict"
if HOSTED else "http://localhost:8000/biology/mit/boltz2/predict"
)
headers = {"Content-Type": "application/json"}
if HOSTED:
api_key = os.getenv("NGC_API_KEY")
if not api_key:
raise SystemExit("NGC_API_KEY is required for the hosted API")
headers["Authorization"] = f"Bearer {api_key}"
payload = {
"polymers": [{
"id": "A",
"molecule_type": "protein",
"sequence": "MTEYKLVVVGACGVGKSALTIQLIQNHFVDEYDPT",
}],
"recycling_steps": 3,
"sampling_steps": 50,
"diffusion_samples": 1,
"step_scale": 1.638,
"output_format": "mmcif",
}
response = requests.post(url, headers=headers, json=payload, timeout=300)
response.raise_for_status()
result = response.json()
Payload essentials:
- Protein polymer:
{"molecule_type": "protein", "sequence": "..."}. - DNA/RNA polymer: add another polymer with
molecule_type"dna"or"rna". - Ligand by SMILES:
{"id": "L1", "smiles": "CC(=O)OC1=CC=CC=C1C(=O)O"}. - Ligand by CCD:
{"id": "L1", "ccd": "ATP"}. - Affinity: set
"predict_affinity": Trueon exactly one ligand; reportaffinity_pic50,affinity_pred_value, andaffinity_probability_binary. - Precomputed A3M MSA goes under the protein polymer. The A3M record uses
alignment,format, andrank; do not use a staledatafield.
protein_with_msa = {
"id": "A",
"molecule_type": "protein",
"sequence": "MTEYKLVVVGAGGVGKSALTIQLIQNHFVDEYDPT",
"msa": {"msa_search": {"a3m": {
"alignment": ">query\nMTEYKLVVVGAGGVGKSALTIQLIQNHFVDEYDPT",
"format": "a3m",
"rank": 0,
}}},
}
Save And Report Output
Save every .cif artifact and read the confidence/affinity fields using the
snippet in references/examples.md under Save
Structures And Affinity. Visualize in PyMOL, ChimeraX, or UCSF Chimera. For
confidence/affinity sanity checks, read references/validation.md.
Limits And Troubleshooting
- Polymers/request: 12. Ligands/request: 20. Chain length: 4096 residues.
- Affinity prediction supports one ligand per request and adds runtime.
422: invalid sequence, invalid CCD/SMILES, malformed MSA, or multiple affinity ligands.- Local URL/auth: local path has no hosted auth header; wait on
/v1/health/ready. - Local startup: use
--gpus all,--shm-size=16G, and the/opt/nim/.cachemount.
Tips for Boltz2 Nim
- • Start a fresh session after installing so your agent picks up the new skill.
- • It bundles reference files. The agent reads them only when needed, so they cost no context until then.
- • It is part of a pack with 30 skills. Install only the ones you need with --skill to keep triggers precise.
- • If two skills overlap, mention the one you want by name.
Questions about Boltz2 Nim
What does the Boltz2 Nim skill do?
Use Boltz2 NIM for biomolecular structure prediction and binding affinity. Invoke for Boltz2, protein structures, protein-ligand/DNA/RNA complexes, SMILES or CCD ligands, pIC50/IC50 affinity scoring, mmCIF output, hosted NVIDIA API calls, or local Docker deployment.
How do I install Boltz2 Nim?
Run "npx skills add NVIDIA/skills --skill boltz2-nim" in your project. The skills CLI installs it for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and 70+ other agents. In Claude on the web, upload the skill folder as a ZIP under Customize > Skills.
Does Boltz2 Nim work in Cursor and Codex?
Yes. Boltz2 Nim uses the open SKILL.md format, so it works in Claude Code, Claude, Cursor, OpenAI Codex, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and other agents that support agent skills.
Is Boltz2 Nim free?
Boltz2 Nim is open source on GitHub under the Apache-2.0 license. It is free to install; check the license before commercial use.
Who made Boltz2 Nim?
Boltz2 Nim is published by NVIDIA in the NVIDIA/skills repository, together with 29 other skills.

